HAVANA, Cuba, (Telesur) – The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, referred to the legalization of marijuana and said that he has no problem opening the debate on the subject. In that sense, he asked to open the debate without hypocrisy and warned that alcohol consumption is a much bigger problem among young people.
During an interview with local media, the president indicated that his intention “is to put an end to hypocrisy. Marijuana is harmful; tobacco kills with cancer, and alcohol degrades human beings. If these two are legal, explain to me why the other side is illegal.”
Regarding the responsibilities in terms of trafficking and consumption, Fernandez referred that the most responsible for the problem would be the traffickers, who, as they are part of organized crime, abuse the levers of power to avoid being prosecuted, both in Argentina and worldwide.
The president added that “as I promoted the abortion law, everyone is trying to come onto me with the marijuana issue. Some things do not make sense to discuss, such as the fact that marijuana consumption has expanded and that many young people consume it. Still, it is also true that marijuana is harmful, that like any other drug, it generates health damages.”
The president contrasted the consumption of marijuana for recreational purposes with alcohol consumption among young people: “Alcohol causes more damage among children, and nobody complains about this.”
Alcoholism addictions in Argentina are worrying, according to WHO reports. According to these reports, the South American country is third with the highest consumption in the continent, only behind the US and Canada. This high level can be attributed to these beverages’ wide availability, low price, and extensive publicity, even though they are also a drug.
On the other hand, smoking kills more than 44,000 Argentines every year. In this country, 20 percent of adolescents consume some type of tobacco product, while 35 percent are exposed to second-hand smoke at home.
